Religion Archives - Page 2 of 7

Apostle Peter Abuses Bible – Denies Jesus

March 31, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Peter Was More Like A Pharisee
Than A Christian

Most people think the only way to abuse the Bible is to disbelieve it, and that means there are only two kinds of people: those who believe it and those who don’t.

That approach keeps everything simple. The people who believe are OK. Those who don’t are in trouble. Accept or reject. Embrace or deny. In or out. One group is good, the other not.

I’ve got news for you.

There are actually two ways to abuse the Bible. One way is obvious and the other a bit insidious. One group admits to abuse. The other group isn’t even aware.

Takers

The obvious way to abuse the Bible is done by people who do not believe the Bible.

They read through it cherry-picking the portions they like and discarding the rest. This approach isn’t an outright rejection but the end result is a complete rearrangement.

I call this the Take-Away approach to the Bible and I refer to the people who do it as Takers.

If that were the only way to abuse the Bible, this post would be finished. It’s not. There is, unfortunately, a second way to abuse the Bible, and the people who engage it are just as guilty. The problem is they aren’t as aware.

Adders Are Problematic Too

I call this second class of abusers Adders. These are people who believe the Bible, endorse the Bible, love the Bible, and claim to adhere to it ardently, but in the end, only create confusion by adding more restriction and regulation to what the Bible actually says.

That’s two diametrically opposed approaches to the Bible both of which are problematic. The effect of one is to reduce the Bible (Takers). The effect of the second is to expand the Bible (Adders). Both approaches are wrong and are considered sins of the highest order.

This is not an opinion. The Bible clearly warns against both approaches. [Read more…] about Apostle Peter Abuses Bible – Denies Jesus

5 Differences Between Democracy And Christianity

January 15, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Democracy’s Concept Is Accepted By All
The Definition Is Not

Democracy is one of those words that every American owns. We love it, embrace it, and repeat it ad nasueam but I question whether it is truly understood.

The definition is simple:

Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

On the surface, we get that. The people (you, me, and everyone else) are ultimately in charge but there is a downside. When we say the people are in charge, we are talking about all the people. Not the wealthiest, the smartest, the most attractive, the morally normative, or any other high profile group.

The people refers to all the people and as the culture becomes more diverse so too do the democratically legislated laws. The body of elected officials who legislate laws take into consideration the entire constituency when writing those laws.

Everyone has a say. Every group is represented equally and that is the Christian approach to governance. Democracy is a very comfortable form of government when everyone in the country agrees with you. As differences begin to accumulate and the laws expand accordingly, discomfort rises among the more religiously rigid.

Admittedly, my thoughts about democracy have moderated over the years. I’ve always considered it a Christian concept and it is, but how far can you extrapolate that idea?

Are Christianity and Democracy equal? Is one exactly the same as the other? Is Democracy the word we apply to government so we can make it seem like a religion? I would say no, no, and probably.

There are underlying Christian principles in a democratic form of government but democracy is neither sectarian nor religious. It can’t be because then it ceases to be a government of the people, for the people, by the people. Democracy is Christian but not in the way many Christians think. Democracy gives expression to those aspects of Christian doctrine that most Christians love to ignore.

Jesus taught us to love our neighbors. Not some of our neighbors. Not the neighbors we think are the right class or look like we do or agree with our personal beliefs. We are to love our neighbors period. Even if we consider them enemies, we are to find a way to love them.

Jesus said that too, but it’s not easy to do mostly because it runs contrary to our natural responses. How can we love our neighbors if we don’t allow for their differences, distasteful though they may be?

With a community as large and broad as the USA, you’re bound to find people you disagree with, lifestyles you could never accept personally, and personal choices you aren’t comfortable with. But that is the nature of community.

It’s logical. The larger the community, the more pronounced and widespread the differences. [Read more…] about 5 Differences Between Democracy And Christianity

In Quiet Moments by Tim Pepper

September 11, 2020 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Torn Between Furious Action and Patient Waiting…

God has a plan for you… That’s what I was taught. What do I do with that information though?

“God can steer a moving object.”

“Prayerfully wait on the Lord’s timing.”

“Put feet to your prayers.”

These are all things I’ve heard people say about what we are supposed to do with the knowledge that God has a plan for us. They are contradictory and platitudinal at best. What do they even mean and is there any truth to them?

I pray a lot. In quiet moments at work sometimes I breathe the words, “God, get me out of here….. Please?” I pray at night when I’m going to sleep. I pray throughout the day. My prayers have changed in later life. They used to just be angry rants about what I thought I deserved from life. Now I’ve learned that none of us deserve anything from life really. But I still sometimes pray those prayers.

What they really mean is that I’m not happy with where I am, or with what I’ve achieved, or with what I believe my hope for change is. I want someone to blame for it all. God’s an easy target. So I vent. I let all my anger out and direct it at my loving creator.

I think about what I must look like to Him sometimes when I see my 4-year-old melting down in tears because he can’t put his pants on straight. I think I must look like that to God, crying over my lot in life. He sees the bigger picture. I see the bigger picture too and help get the pants straightened out. I often can’t resist making some comments about how all that crying didn’t really help things much. God doesn’t add those insults to my injury. He just helps out and keeps the earth revolving around the sun so that I don’t die in flames or ice. [Read more…] about In Quiet Moments by Tim Pepper

Prayer – Universal, Accessible, Immediate, Personal

August 6, 2017 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Prayer Is A Tool
Not A Drive Thru Window

Have you ever lived in a world where the only means of communication was sending smoke signals?

No, I’m sure you haven’t but you can imagine how involved the process was.

You had to collect dry fuel to start a fire, wet fuel to create smoke and then generate a spark to get the fire going. None of that is easy to do.

There was no simple way to start a fire without matches and you couldn’t skimp on fuel. You needed clouds of smoke, not puffs. And to regulate the smoke you needed a blanket.

Sending smoke signals required a lot of hard, skillful work just to get started.

Distance was a consideration too.

Smoke dissipates quickly so line-of-sight and distance were critical factors. If the recipient was too far, the connection was lost.

Smoking your message from Venezuela to California wasn’t going to happen. [Read more…] about Prayer – Universal, Accessible, Immediate, Personal

5 Difficulties Confront Bible Interpretation

July 7, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

The Best Way
To Respect Your Elders
Is Challenge Their Beliefs

You don’t have to be Christian very long before you realize how much people differ on various Bible teachings. You also learn quickly that these teachings are generally referred to as Beliefs, and a belief is something you don’t tamper with.

They’re like holy cows. Irreverence is not tolerated.

Just raising a question can be dangerous. Writing about it is heresy. It’s a burnable offense! Heretics rank right up there with witches.

The penalties aren’t so severe today but the attitudes haven’t changed much.

The Lord’s Supper (aka Communion, Eucharist, Lord’s Table) is a good example. There are many different ways this ordinance is observed.

Attend an Anglican church and you feel compelled to take the bread and wine. Attend a Catholic church and you’re prohibited. Attend a Protestant church and you get long-winded explanations, and you’re likely to get a different story with each church.

It’s only natural to ask why all the differences, but it’s not a question you can easily ask. The frequency with which churches observe the ordinance and who they allow to participate, are not topics for discussion. Churches generally have very fixed ideas. [Read more…] about 5 Difficulties Confront Bible Interpretation